Summer Reading Goals

Q: What is your goal in reading for this summer?
A: It is to READ AND READ AND READ AND READ AND READ AND READ AND READ!!!!!!!!!!

I'm pretty sure that you get my overall point for typing this post(other than the obvious). Here are some of my main goals, and don't worry, I'll explain them later.

• to go to the library once every week that I can
• to finish The Chronicles of Narnia
• to read as many books as I can
• to finish the Reading Challenge
• to read more genres that I don't read as much(like bio's, sci-fi and no books-wait, no, I didn't mean to say that!)

    First, I'll explain about the reading challenge and library. I am a big fan of reading and I think that the Summer Reading Challenge is a great way to explore this amazing world. I also want to do this because they make more challenging challenges so you get to read and learn more. Even better, the library has all the supplies you need! Also, I really want to finish The Cronicles of Narnia because it looks like a great re-read and it will supply me with my reading needs for a very long time.
                                                             READING IS AWESOME!!!

Why Do Reading Reflection (ha, ha!)

    This week I'm reading The Big Book Of Spy Stuff by Bart King. Believe it or not, I actually have a few thank you's to give before I write about this awesome book! My first thank you goes to Ms. Kobs for letting me go to the Oregon Writing Festival. Bart King was there, along with his books, so I got one. My second thank you goes to Bart King himself for being SO funny and for writing such awesome books. Now, I must continue on in my reflection.
    To me, the answer to the question, "Why are you reading what you are reading?", is obvious. It's because Bart King has a really funny voice in his writing and that makes it way more interesting (also actually talking to him made it even more realistic). Also, I think that my voice is very similar to his so  I could actually relate to the book better. This is not a book that you want to abandon. The main reason that I did not abandon this book is that I love spying and I am really interested in it (and hilarious writing!). I have gotten lots of things out of this book. The most obvious one is how to be a spy, so I won't list that. One not so obvious thing that I got out of this book is how to be a better writer. I think that Bart King is a fabulous model for me as a writer. Another thing that I got out of it was spy history. It's kind of like getting a behind the scenes tour of a movie, "Unrevealed: Spies".  Last of all, I got  "Helpful Learning Tools" (for spies). Overall, reading is something that we can get something out of every minute of our lives. I usually get overloaded with learning experiences, great reads and an occasional evil plan out of the books I read. Although, what I think that you really get out of reading is something bigger than our brain can control, something that stirs up our imagination, something...........
    Phew! All that's done! Now on to the next dreary assignment....let's see spelling, math...Wait! I can use my super spy techniques to get out of this!!!...........OH!!! DID I FORGET TO RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Lilly exclaimed in horror).

Perception Reading Reflection 5/4

    This week I am reading The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, by C.S. Lewis. It is the prequel in the series. So far, it is about a boy and a girl named Digory and Polly who live in London. Then one day, they find some magic rings that will send them back and forth between an endless amount of worlds. Unfortunately, the saying "Curiosity killed the cat" comes true. What suspenseful events await them? Read the book to find out.
    One event that was very important was when Polly and Digory were in a room with wax figures inside of it. There was a pillar in the middle of the room with a bell hanging from it and a poem written on it. It read:

"Make your choice, adventurous stranger;

Strike the bell and bide the danger,

Or wonder, till it drives you mad,

What would have followed if you had."

   When I read this passage, I was looking through Polly's eyes, who didn't want to ring the bell. I probably saw through her eyes because I agreed with her more than Digory, who wanted to ring the bell. What happened was this: They saw this poem written on the pillar, and immediately they had different opinions. They started arguing and finally Digory pushed Polly aside and struck the bell. The sweet sound of the bell got louder and louder as it rang triumphantly in their ears........... In my perception, Polly always had a warning or something to say back to Digory, but Digory always had stronger opinions. They kept fighting till they reached the bell, and when Polly turned her head, he struck the bell. I think that Polly began to feel desperate and hopeless near the end of the fight. She had used up all of her strength to prevent her brother from hitting the bell. I think that the thing that made me drawn to Polly was that she never gives up, and that's one of my favorite traits. On the other hand, Digory was very curious and he could not stand to not know what would happen. He came to the point that he was so curious that he didn't really care about Polly at the time. That's what made him ignore her. They both saw the event very differently, and it really triggers the events to follow.
    Luckily, this week I own the book so I do not have to worry about returning it! If you haven't read the series, START NOW!!!!!!

Six Word Memoir: Peak 4/27

                               Hard work, for nothing? Hope not.

    In the book Peak, fourteen-year-old Peak is climbing Mount Everest with his dad and a climbing team. Even though he is with people to help him, he could fall into the trap of sickness, most likely to get a sickness in which you can't breathe. It is really hard work climbing Mount Everest because you have to climb up and down   from multiple camps so many times that you feel like falling down dead right in the middle of a climb. Even at the camps, you could freeze from taking a fatal step outside. So far, a few climbers have gotten sick and had to be taken back down. That means not climbing Everest because you have to have perfect timing. The worst it could get: Peak would have to fail his attempt on trying to be the youngest person to climb Everest. 

             Could all of this hard work be for nothing?

(Hard work: reading the book, For Nothing?: I might get a fine, Hope not: hope to finish book before next Wedsday so I won't get a fine)

Character Reflection 4/25

    This week I'm reading Peak by Roland Smith. In this book, Peak Marcello lives in New York and (illegally) climbs skyscrapers. His long lost father is a famous climber and he presents an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them to summit Mt. Everest together. That would mean he would be the youngest person ever to stand above 29,000 feet! Immediately, Peak says yes and they go on an adventure full of surprises lurking around every corner. Will he make it to the peak of fame?
    Peak has some very interesting character traits. His first trait is hard to put into words. It is like a cross between being brave, reckless and impudent. Here is a passage that describes it.

I was trying to decide what to leave behind when Captain Shek walked up........."Where he go?" I shrugged. "You lying to me! I kick you off mountain if you lie." "Go ahead." I said, zipping my pack closed. Probably not the brightest thing to say, but I'd had enough of Captain Shek and everything else on Everest. He looked like he was about to explode. I don't think he was used to having a fourteen-year-old call his bluff............"I watching you." I walked away feeling his eyes drilling into the back of my neck, proud of myself for not even thinking about ratting out Sun-jo.

That passage might help you understand Peak's trait better. Peak is also very independent for fourteen. An inference that I made about this is that he became more self-reliant because he choose to be alone a lot. Peak is a very unique person. My inferences include the one about Peak's independence. Another inference that I made was that Peak can be himself more with his dad than his mom or step-dad. I almost want to say that Peak is a real person. Roland Smith makes you believe that he is more than real, but someone who you can relate to. It's not like his feelings are all the same or different. Instead, his emotions go in a cycle, with some feelings to choose from. Also, this is a realistic fiction novel so it has more lifelike characters. Overall, I like Peak. I think that his emotions, family, hobbies, and the basics of a character are well chosen. I also despise his lack of humor and the way he doesn't care about other characters that much, except himself. If I were the author, I would first change the things that I despise about Peak. In the whole book Peak is never really exhilarated. I would make him more enthusiastic about things in certain parts because this is Mount Everest. You've got to be thrilled at some point! Here are some reasons of why Peak is needed and important in the story. Peak is the main character and that is one of the most important roles in a story. Peak is also writing this as a documentary for his English teacher and without him, the writer, there would be no story!    I think that this is a fabulous novel and that you should all try this book. Come and get it off the shelf right away or all the copies will be gone! (P.S. It's really overdue, so I'm aiming to finish it by Friday and find out what happens.)

Reading Reflection 4/19

    This week I read The Extraordinary Education Of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart. It is the fourth book in the Mysterious Benedict Society series. First, I made a connection to Nicholas' love to read. To some people, this may seem like a "normal" connection, but it is really extreme. You might say that we have the "Reading Flu". If you've never experienced it, it's like a secret that would make you the richest person in the world lies in the pages in a secret code and you're searching for it. No matter what, you have to find out the secret! Here is a sneak preview into how extreme it can get. "Nicholas gasped. Could it be true? He sprang to the door and tried the knob. It was unlocked. Ignoring Mrs. Brindle's sputtering protests, he swung the door open and barged into the darkness beyond. He held up the lamp-and gasped again. Three walls of books. Floor-to-ceiling books. Books in the thousands...........By some miracle, he had not fallen asleep, despite witnessing the most exciting spectacle of his life." Nicholas had lived in orphanages all of his life and none of them had libraries. If I were put in his shoes, I would have done the exact same thing. I am a true bookworm!
    Loneliness can hit you like a bullet, and there's no stopping it. Here is an excellent example of my connection to Nicholas. "The truth was that it was one of his worst. Nicholas had never felt so lonely. But nobody in this wretched orphanage was going to know that. Not if he could help it. And as soon as he possibly could, he would be leaving them all behind forever. Starting tonight." I think that a lot of other girls, including myself, have felt this way before. The time that I had that lonely feeling the strongest was with my friends. All of my friends had always played together in one large group. Then, one year, some of my closest friends broke away and formed a group with some other girls. They didn't necessarily do things that intrigued me, so I just did the same things that we had always done. After a while, a couple of my friends broke away, but only a few of my friends actually played with me anymore. I felt like all of a sudden I became an outcast, and they had thrown me away and moved on to the next popular thing. I felt like I was abandoned. The weird thing was that this only happened at school! When we were alone together they were their old, funny selves. I really wish that people wouldn't do that to each other. I would recommend this book in a second!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!